Onesto surges into Jockey Club picture at the expense of Oaks hopeful Agave

Sunday: Saint-Cloud

The idea that an established trial for the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club should throw up a serious contender for that race is the normal run of things and so it proved in the Prix Greffulhe, for all that many had hoped to see a rare filly in the line-up cement her place near the head of the betting for the Cazoo Oaks.

The filly in question, Agave, belatedly got the better of a protracted battle with Sir Bob Parker for second place but had no answer to Onesto, who surged down the outside after being held up by Stephane Pasquier.

The son of Frankel was last seen when a modest eighth in the Prix de Fontainebleau – a key trial for the French Guineas – and clearly relished the step up from a mile to 1m2½f.

"It was too short for him last time. He's by Frankel out of a Sea The Stars mare and stamina is there throughout the family, so this is the first time he's run over the right distance," said trainer Fabrice Chappet.

On Pasquier's patient tactics, he added: "He had a bad draw [six out of six] and has a good turn of foot, so we decided to respect him. It's a prep race again.

"He has the pedigree for that [a mile and a half] but we'll go step by step. We'll go for the Jockey Club first and take it from there."

Andre Fabre underlined before the race that any attempt at the Oaks for Agave was contingent on her winning well and, while Onesto is clearly a well above-average colt, it remains to be seen whether the trainer considers a hard-pressed second to have given enough encouragement to head across the Channel.

"She ran very well," said Olivier Peslier. "We didn't go that fast and the winner came past us very easily but she was a good second. She was just caught a little bit for speed and needs more pace to run at."

David Menuisier feels there could be plenty more to come from Sir Bob Parker, who was stepping up on a maiden win at Chantilly three weeks ago.

"With hindsight maybe we could have wound it up from further out but I'm not disappointed to be third in a Prix Greffulhe," said Menuisier. "He's still quite green and after he accelerated he started looking around.

"He's a big horse with a huge action and it's possible he'll need a mile and a half. What he does need is pace in the race and so I have to decide between coming back for the Jockey Club or going to Ascot for the King Edward VII Stakes."

Menuisier added: "Whichever way we go I won't overrace him, because I really think he'll come into his own in the autúmn."

Sibila Spain heading for Royal Ascot

Sibila Spain after winning the Group 2 Prix du Muguet for Christopher Head and Aurelien LemaitreCredit: Racing Post/Scott Burton

In the day's other Group 2, the Prix du Muguet, Sibila Spain benefited from a change of tactics in running down the reappearing Dilawar to score her most important career success, as well as that of trainer Christopher Head.

Sibila Spain has more often than not made the running but Aurelien Lemaitre chose to watch on at the back of the six-runner field, before unleashing the daughter of Frankel down the outside.

"I was worried that she is so used to leading, even in the mornings, that she wouldn't settle as well in behind," said Head, who was collecting a first Group success. "But we went back to doing what we did with her in the Saint-Alary last year, when she really finished well, and it's a good sign for the future.

"She'll stay at a mile and will now go for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes."

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